


Green with Envy

by SailorChibi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Author is Bitter, BAMF Tony Stark, Brainwashing, Civil War Team Iron Man, Consequences, Foiled Plans, Gen, Ignores Civil War, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Stephen Strange, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Truth Spells, actions have consequences, brief mention of trying to drive someone to suicide, bucky barnes is not afraid to lay on a guilt trip, but man do they learn it in here, but they don't want tony, facing the consequences of your decisions, i would almost label him narcisstic, it's easier when tony's money paves the way, major guilt trip, most of all tony stark, neither is natasha for that matter, not team Cap friendly, not wanda maximoff friendly, oh wait you weren't thinking, pepper potts and stephen strange are here to show you that is not the case, plans to brainwash someone, plotting against tony stark, stephen strange has no patience for idiots, steve rogers is an idiot, steve rogers thinks everyone owes the world to him, steve what were you thinking, takes place approximately 6-8 months after AOU, the avengers don't want to do anything for themselves, the avengers want tony's money, tony stark is a consultant, tony stark quits the avengers, tony stark setting boundaries, twist ending, wanda maximoff is a dangerous person, wanda maximoff is not a child, which is a lesson that neither steve nor wanda have ever learned, yes I'm using that tag even though this ignores civil war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-03 07:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13336833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: After Tony left the Avengers, he decided to take his money with him. It didn't take Steve long to figure out that something had to be done about that, even if it meant letting Wanda use her powers on Tony again. But the best laid plans don't always go the way you think they will.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first work of 2018 and it's BITTER AS FUCK. This is from Steve's point of view, but don't let that fool you. This is basically a story where Steve makes an ass of himself, Wanda is her typical psychopathic self, and they both get dealt the consequences. Also this was meant to be short and idk what happened.

Nine months to the day that Stark quit the Avengers, Steve slammed his hands down on the kitchen table and cursed under his breath. The carefully organized stacks of paper he'd spread out across the table wavered and then, in slow motion, tumbled off the edge. Steve swore again as he watched them hit the floor, flooding out in all directions. It had taken him hours to get those documents into some semblance of order. Now he would have to start all over again. He clenched one hand into a fist with frustration.

"Steve? Are you okay?" Wanda peeked her head into the room, watching him with wide eyes. Steve immediately regretted swearing. He tried to watch his language when Wanda was around. Kids didn't need to hear that kind of talk.

"I'm fine. Just a little annoyed."

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help." She stepped around the corner, looking at the mess. 

"It's Stark," Steve said, practically spitting the name. Once he and Tony Stark had been teammates, bordering on friends. Now Stark was nothing more than a pain in Steve's ass. 

"What did he do this time?"

"He pulled the funding he used to provide for public relations," Steve replied, still a little in shock at just _how much_ something so simple could cost. He'd never really thought much about the media beyond how personally annoying they could be. The world thought well of the Avengers and they were allowed to do their jobs. That was all Steve cared about. Had he been pressed, he would've said that SHIELD took care of that.

But he would've been wrong. It turned out that Stark Industries' Public Relations department had a hand in the Avengers' press before SHIELD fell, and, after SHIELD fell, they'd been responsible for all of it. Pepper Potts had sent Steve a tersely worded email five weeks ago stating that, effective in 30 days, she was eliminating the funding since Stark was no longer an Avenger. Now, two days after their last battle, Steve was staring down at a bill that he legitimately did not know how to pay. How the hell could it cost so much to make humanity think positively about their heroes?!

"He can't do that!" Wanda said, looking indignant. "Natasha said we need that to keep doing our jobs. She said that if people start to think poorly of us, they won't ask for our help anymore."

"I know. And believe me, I tried to explain that to Stark. But he wouldn't listen." Steve shook his head in renewed frustration. Talking to Stark lately was like trying to talk to a brick wall. Steve had no idea what his former teammate had turned into, but he didn't like it. 

Wanda bit her lip. "Do we have any money left?"

"Not a lot, but I'll figure it out," Steve said, trying to force a smile. Wanda didn't need to worry about things like money. He would talk to Natasha and see if she had any ideas. He hated the thought of going to the government or anyone for funding. That meant they would be beholden to someone. But without SHEILD, and with Stark selfishly withdrawing more funding by the week, they were running out of options. One or two more bills like this one and they'd have to shut the compound down.

"We could make Stark listen," Wanda said hesitantly, looking at him under her eyelashes.

"What?"

She spread her hands, red mist wafting around her fingers. "Just a little. Until he starts thinking straight on his own."

"Wanda! I can't believe you're suggesting that," Steve said, stunned. "We've told you that you're not allowed to use your powers unless it's necessary."

"I would call this necessary," Wanda argued. "You brought me on the team and Stark quit because he couldn't get his way. You shouldn't reward him by letting him get away with this. We _need_ that money, Steve. We need it to help people. Why should it just sit in Stark's bank account instead?"

What Wanda was saying made sense, much as Steve hated to admit it. He still shook his head. "Brainwashing people is wrong. I'm not letting you do that."

"Okay," Wanda said doubtfully. "If you really think we can get by without it." She waved a hand at the scattered papers. Steve watched as red tendrils of magic picked up every piece of paper and placed it gently back on the table in the order they'd fallen off. He had to admit, her control had increased greatly over the past six months. All the work that Sam and Natasha had been doing with her had done wonders.

"I think we can," Steve said firmly. "Thanks for your help."

He considered the matter closed, refusing to even spare it another thought, until two weeks later when another email arrived from Potts. Steve read it with increasing dread and anger. This time, the email stated in simple terms that Tony Stark was no longer going to be looking after the Avengers' weapons and body armor (with the exclusion of the War Machine armor). The Avengers, Potts wrote, would have to put a tender out and wait for interested companies to speak up. Stark Industries, she wanted to let Steve know, and by extension Tony Stark, would _not_ be one of those interested parties.

Steve saw red. He couldn't believe Stark was being this selfish. The Avengers were only as good as their weapons, especially people like Natasha or Sam. And just last week, Wanda had torn her bodysuit during a battle. Was she just supposed to keep wearing it anyway? Even though the tear compromised the integrity of the armor? Where the hell did Stark think they were going to magically come up with this money? Weapons and body armor were costly. They didn't have the money to pay any companies for that. Besides, as much as it galled Steve to admit, the quality would be subpar compared to what Stark could do.

He fumed for several minutes, mulling the situation over. But it didn't matter which way he looked at things: the Avengers were broke. Weapons and body armor cost money. So did things like running the compound and even the trips they made in the quinjet to get where they needed to be. How much longer would it be until Stark stopped funding those things too? He probably, Steve thought furiously, wouldn't rest until the Avengers were out on the street, nowhere to live and no way to help people. Then Iron Man could swoop in and get all the glory.

If only he could make Stark _listen_. That was impossible, though. Stark didn't want to hear anything Steve said. He'd even stopped taking Steve's calls as of last week - Steve had been trying to contact him hourly to check on how much longer the repairs to Wanda's bodysuit would take, but Stark had declined to answer any of the calls, voicemails, texts or email messages. At least now he knew _why_ Stark hadn't answered, but it didn't make him feel any better. If anything, it just left him even more fed up.

He stood up, leaving his tablet behind, and went to find Wanda. She was training with Vision in the gym. Steve stood there for several minutes, watching as she and Vision tossed magic back and forth at each other. There was something playful about the way they were interacting, and, in spite of his current frustrations, Steve found himself smiling. It was so good to see the team coming together like this. It was even better to see the control Wanda displayed as she flew the air, controlling her movements with only a twitch of her fingers.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have Wanda use a little magic on Stark. Her control was amazing now. She could be subtle, enough so that Stark would never know. All she'd have to do is fix whatever had made Stark change his mind about funding the team. Change his opinion. Steve was sure that she wouldn't have to do it for very long. With Wanda's help, Stark would see the light. Then Wanda could withdraw her magic and Stark would continue on as he had before, helping the Avengers when it was necessary. Everything would be okay and Steve would be free of this constant concern about finances, able to turn his attention to more important matters.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He rapped gently on the glass and, when Wanda and Vision turned to look at him, beckoned to Wanda. She said something to Vision and then landed gracefully, walking over to the door. Steve turned to greet her with a smile, which she returned. 

"What's up?" she asked.

"I've thought a lot about your offer concerning Stark," Steve said carefully. "I think I'd like to take you up on it."

"Really?" Wanda said, looking surprised. "But you said -"

"I know what I said, and normally I stand by that. This is a special case. I'm not sure what else to do," he admitted.

"Well... well sure, Steve. Of course I can do that." Wanda tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Can you get me in contact with him?"

"I thought you could do it from here."

"The closer I am, the better. Unless you want me to shred Stark's mind by trying to do such delicate work from a distance." She smiled.

"No! No. I just want you to better his opinion of the team. That's all. No nightmares," Steve said. "How close do you need to be?"

"In the same room at least."

He considered that. Stark would never agree to see Steve, much less Wanda. And hanging around Stark Tower, hoping they ran into him, wasn't a viable option. It could be weeks before Stark left. But... he looked at Wanda. "There's a gala in three days. I know that Stark will be there because it's for the Maria Stark Foundation. Will that work?"

Wanda nodded. "Yes, that'll do. How will we get inside?"

"Leave that to me," Steve said confidently. Had it not been for Wanda's powers he probably would've enlisted Natasha's help, which he was loathe to do. He had the feeling that Natasha would've disapproved of their plan, and Natasha was never shy about sharing her disapproval. But fortunately, Sam and Rhodes had been helping Wanda to practice her illusions. It would be nothing for Wanda to make the doormen think that they were seeing someone else when he and Wanda slipped by.

Three days later, he and Wanda made the trip alone to New York. They had to stay in a motel, because Steve didn't have the money for a hotel - especially not the kind of fancy hotel that Stark used to put them up in. The motel clerk didn't even recognize them. The embarrassing experience only served to highlight how important their mission was. What if this had been an official mission of some kind? Motels had terrible security. For all Steve knew, he was sleeping next door to a super villain. He was positive now that he and Wanda were doing the right thing.

Steve dressed in his finest tuxedo and Wanda borrowed one of Natasha's gowns; it was a little big on her, but it didn't look too bad. It was good enough that Steve didn't think they'd draw unnecessary attention once they were in. They took a cab to the building - and holy hell, when had cabs in New York gotten so expensive? He would be glad when they could tell cab drivers to put their fares on Stark's tab again - and climbed out. Wanda's hands and eyes glowed briefly with red light. Steve didn't feel any different, but she took his arm and nodded at him to join the line.

A little nervous, Steve led her over to the line. He was surprised and pleased when the doormen waved them through without even asking their names. "Good job," he whispered in Wanda's ear as they stepped inside.

"You shouldn't doubt me," Wanda said. "I've let the illusion drop. I need to conserve my powers for Stark."

"Right. Keep your head down then," Steve said, ducking his own head. It was hard to be inconspicuous when you were this tall, and he was embarrassed to note that, making things worse, his tuxedo and Wanda's gown were out of date. Of course, he realized, his tuxedo was now two years old. At the time, Stark had taken him to a tailor and had it personally made. Steve would have to get the name of the tailor after all this was finished. 

They stood on the fringe of the crowd and watched the idle conversations taking place, not speaking to anyone. At half past nine, the room hushed as the lights dimmed save for those on the stage. Pepper Potts came out onto the stage. She was joined a moment later by Tony Stark. Steve wasn't prepared for the rush of hot anger that flashed through him when, both of them standing in front of the podium, Stark wrapped an arm around Potts’ waist. Together or not, they looked like a successful, driven, worry-free couple. At any rate, neither of their outfits were out of date.

It just wasn't fair.

"Welcome," Stark said, a smile on his face. He went through his whole speech, with the occasional interlude from Potts. Steve was disgusted by the way that they played the crowd. At the end of it, the whole room burst into applause. And for what? Steve felt like telling every single one of them that Stark's promises of funding for the charity were bullshit. Look at how easily he'd pulled funding from the Avengers! You couldn't trust a thing that Stark said.

It only reaffirmed that he and Wanda were making the right choice. Steve caught Wanda’s eye, raising his eyebrow in silent query. He knew that the longer they lingered, the more likely it would be that someone would recognize them. Ever since Ultron, the faces of the Avengers had been plastered across the internet. There was no doubt in his mind that Stark would kick them out if he saw them.

Wanda inclined her head in acknowledgement and took a half-step back so that her body was largely hidden by Steve’s bulk. She was so tiny that it was easy to shield her under the pretence of helping himself to a glass of champagne at the bar. Steve sipped at the champagne, barely tasting it, as he watched Wanda’s eyes slowly begin to glow red.

Stark and Potts had left the stage when their speech finished. Both of them were making the rounds, smiling and chatting with their guests. Stark, Steve noticed, was accompanied by a tall man with dark and a beard not unlike Stark’s. The man never left Stark’s side, even participated in the conversations were visible ease, but the two of them never came close to the bar.

He was so busy watching Stark that he missed the moment when Wanda stiffened. “Something’s wrong,” she hissed, just as Stark let out a surprised yelp.

All heads turned in Stark’s direction, Steve’s included, since he’d turned automatically when Wanda spoke to him. Stark loosened the grip of his burgundy tie and quickly opened the top button on his shirt. Steve was immediately disgusted – Stark was stripping here? Were there no lows the man wouldn't stoop to? – until he saw Stark fishing a pendant out from under his shirt. Strung on what looked like a thin gold chain, the pendant was glowing a bright enough shade of green to be easily visible even at a distance in the large room.

“Someone is using magic on you,” the man who was accompanying Stark said. He looked pissed. He raised his hands and made a series of moments with his fingers, orange sparks trailing.

Wanda shrieked and grabbed Steve’s arm when the floor rippled beneath their feet, suddenly feeling dangerously unstable. Steve staggered in surprise and caught his balance against the table. By the time he’d steadied them both, the man and Stark were bearing down on them. Steve gritted his teeth and squared his shoulders, meeting Stark’s gaze unashamedly.

“Rogers and Maximoff. I should have guessed,” Stark said, voice filled with contempt. He let the still-glowing pendant fall against his chest. “Up to your old tricks again, hmm?”

“Stark,” Steve said, deciding to take the high road. “We’re here as guests. I don’t know what you think –”

“Save it,” Stark interrupted. “I know for a fact neither of you were on my guest list, so that means you snuck in. Probably using her powers.” He nodded at Maximoff. “This pendant tells me exactly when someone is trying to use magic on me and protects me long enough to either get help or get out of range. I got it after your little stunt at the Hydra base, just as a precaution.”

Wanda flushed with rage. “I was not trying to use magic on you,” she lied. 

“Why don’t we test the truth of your statement?” said the man. “I’m Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme.” As he spoke, he moved his fingers to form strange shapes in the air. Suddenly, he flicked his fingers at Wanda and Steve. Steve flinched back, but there was no avoiding the yellow light that settled on their skin.

“What the hell did you do to us?” Steve demanded.

Strange glanced briefly at him, then dismissed Steve entirely by looking at Wanda. “Did you try to magic Tony Stark?”

Wanda’s mouth worked uselessly for a moment before she spat out, “Yes.”

“Why?”

Again, Wanda’s mouth worked. Finally, she said, “Steve told me to. He said that we were broke and didn't have a way to fund any of our missions."

“And you planned to use your magic to do that,” Strange said, crossing his arms. “Magic is a privilege, Ms. Maximoff, not a right. You are not permitted to use it however you desire. Magic is never to be used against innocent individuals, particularly non-magical civilians, unless they pose a direct threat to you.”

“Stark does!”

Both of Stark’s eyebrows rose. “How’s that now? I’ve been keeping my distance from all of the Avengers except Rhodey. And I don’t even come visit him anymore. He comes to see me.”

“You’re taking our money away!” Wanda cried. “We barely have the funds to support ourselves.”

Stark snorted. “How is that my problem? I have no ties to the Avengers. I have no responsibility for any of you. Frankly, I think that the clear instructions my CEO has given you on what to do moving forward was far more than you deserved, considering that she generously waived the normal consulting fee that we should have charged.”

“But you were an Avenger,” said Steve.

“No I wasn’t. I was a consultant, remember?” Stark looked directly at him, expression cold. “And then I decided to stop being a consultant. Since I never signed a contract, you have no legal right to any of my money or anything else I own. I could’ve kicked your collective asses out of the compound from day one, but figured that America’s superheroes needed a roof over their heads. I’ve given you almost ten months to find funding of your own. If you’ve failed to do that, that’s not my fault.”

Steve scowled. “You know we don’t have time for that. We’re out saving the world on a regular basis.”

“Still not my problem,” Stark said. “Besides, what did you really expect to have happen here? Were you planning to give me another nightmare about the end of the world?”

“I was going to change your brain chemistry so that you would leave your money to the Avengers, and then you would kill yourself,” Wanda said.

Stark visibly flinched. Strange’s expression lit up with fury. Even Steve turned to stare at her, shocked. “Wanda, we never agreed to that!”

“I know you wanted me to make Stark think better of us so he’d give us back the money, but why bother?” Wanda asked earnestly. “Our life would be easier if he was out of the way. Then we’d have all the money we needed and we wouldn’t have to worry about Stark withdrawing funding in the future, and I would finally have justice for my parents and brother.”

“I can’t believe this,” Stark whispered. Always aware of the crowd, his expression swiftly returned to a smooth mask – but not before Steve saw the betrayed look in his eyes.

“If I’m understanding you correctly, you – the so-called heroes of the world – were going to drive a man to suicide just because of _money_?! Money that you have no right to?” Strange hissed. “Call the police,” he barked at security. “I want them arrested for trespassing, attempted murder, fraud and whatever else Stark Industries’ legal council can make stick.”

“You can’t do that!” Steve said. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

The looks of disbelief he got not just from Stark and Strange, but from almost everyone presented, cowed him just a little. But as far as Steve was concerned, it was the truth. Maybe Wanda wasn’t doing quite as well as he’d thought. And maybe Steve shouldn’t have given her the ideal opportunity to use her powers on Tony again. But the fact still remained that Stark was leaving them penniless and unable to protect people.

“I’ve already called them,” said Potts. She was standing near Stark, glowering at Steve and Wanda. “They should be arriving promptly.”

“Tony, come on,” Steve said, figuring he’d better try one last chance at appealing to Stark’s better nature before this got completely out of hand. “If you would’ve just taken my calls –”

“No. You're not the boss anymore, Rogers. I don’t have to speak to you if I don’t want to. You have no right to my valuable time, especially since you've already stated that you can't afford my fees,” Stark said. “That does not give you any excuse to do something like this.”

“We were trying to help people!”

“Oh, I see,” Stark said with a nod, and for a second Steve felt a flicker of hope. It died when Stark continued. “You were going to kill one of the very civilians that you are so determined to protect, because you hate me and I have something you want. That’s what you consider protection.”

“No! It wasn’t like that,” Steve said.

“Really? Because I have to wonder what other explanation there is. If you couldn’t get my money, maybe you’d settle for Van Dyne money,” Stark said, and another woman turned a fierce glare on Steve. “Or Hammer money, or any other money that you decided you were _entitled_ to.”

“I – that’s not…” Steve trailed off, mind racing. Stark was too good at spinning things his way. Now everyone was glaring at them. 

“It was either that or we couldn’t protect the world,” Wanda said, jerking her chin up proudly. “We’re Avengers. We do what we have to.”

“If that’s the case, then I really don’t think I want people like you protecting our world,” Stark replied. A few people murmured in agreement. For the first time, Steve realized that there were cameras rolling, recording every word of this encounter. That meant this whole fiasco would be uploaded to the internet in no time, and then it would spread like wildfire. He had the distant thought that Natasha and Rhodes were going to be furious.

"That's not your choice to make," Wanda hissed.

"It's not, but I believe you missed the part where I said I was Sorcerer Supreme," said Strange. "It's my responsibility to make sure those with magic obey the rules."

"To hell with you," Wanda said. "Come on, Steve. We'll figure something else out."

"I don't think so," Strange murmured. The pedant around his neck pulsed. Steve's eyes locked onto it and he couldn't look away no matter how hard he tried. Strange's hands were moving again, and Steve knew he should be running. He should be grabbing Wanda and hustling her through the crowd and towards a door as fast as their feet could move. But he was frozen to the spot.

Strange chanted several words in a language Steve didn't understand. The pendant pulsed again. Steve swayed, then fell to his knees. He suddenly felt unbearably weak, unable to keep standing even though he wanted to. He put his palms flat on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut as the world swam around him.

When it stopped, he heard nothing but the quiet rustle of clothing and breathing. He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. A strong sense of déjà vu rolled through him at the sight of the skinny arms, bony wrists and petite fingers. That wasn't right. His hands hadn't looked that way in over seventy-five years. That _couldn't_ be right.

He sat back on his haunches, putting his hands to his belly. His chest. His face. His heart thudded with panic, breath rattling in his lungs. He didn't need a mirror to know what had happened, but he still caught sight of his reflection in one of the punch bowls. The face of an asthmatic kid from Brooklyn in a tuxedo several sizes too large stared back at him, eyes wide and filled with fear.

"What did you do to me?" Wanda wailed beside him. Steve looked at her blankly, but saw no change.

"I sealed your magic away until you can learn to handle it properly," Strange told her. "No one can undo the spell unless they have the right key, so don't even bother to try. And as for you," he turned a cool eye on Steve, "I have sealed the serum in your blood."

"You can't do that!" Steve said, shock turning to dread. Without the serum, he couldn't be Captain America.

"The police are on their way to arrest you both. The measures I have taken will ensure that they will be able to take you both into custody without anyone being harmed. Tony will be pressing charges, I assume." Strange glanced at Stark. Stark had a hand clasped over his mouth, staring at Steve with wide eyes, but he still managed a nod.

"Should the trial come out in your favor, and a judge find you not guilty of the charges laid against you, I will remove the seal and the serum will be effective once more. You will be as you once were. If you are found guilty, then you will live out your sentence as you are and only then will I remove the seal," Strange said. "I'm sure you would agree that it is only fair. Your actions tonight have proven how little you care about the common man, so now you are on the same level as them."

"I do care! I'm Captain America! It's my job to stand up to bullies and protect people!" Steve argued. He ignored Wanda, weeping quietly beside him, and lurched to his feet. "I just want to protect people."

Stark just shook his head. "A real hero does more than just protect people, Steve," he said quietly. "A real hero looks at the whole picture and keeps caring even after the job is done. A real hero holds himself and his team accountable for what happened. A real hero doesn't shrug his shoulders and say that sometimes losses happen and then leave the consequences for those losses for someone else to clean up. And a real hero definitely doesn't try to brainwash someone else into giving away money."

"In addition, a real hero doesn't bring someone who isn't in control of their magic to a public place and then encourage that person to use said magic," said Strange. There was no sympathy in his eyes, and suddenly Steve was consumed by a swell of rage for this stranger who had used magic on both him and Wanda without a moment's thought.

He took a step forward, hands clenching into fists. He didn't know what he was going to do. If he'd had the shield with him, he would've thrown it right into Strange's smug face and then into Stark's for good measure. If he'd had his normal body, he would've punched them both. He couldn't really do the former, but he could sure as hell do the latter.

"Steve Rogers! Wanda Maximoff! Freeze!" an unfamiliar voice yelled.

Steve froze, realizing that a police officer was standing two feet. More melted out of the crowd, until he, Wanda, Strange and Stark were surrounded and the other guests from the party, including Potts, had been ushered away. The officer that had spoken had a gun and it was trained on Steve. Some of the other officers were aiming at Steve too. Others were aiming at Wanda.

"It's alright, Captain," Stark said. "Dr. Strange has disarmed the criminals."

"If it's all the same to you, Mr. Stark, we'll check them over ourselves," the captain said. "On your knees. Hands in the air. Real slow now."

"Steve, don't let them do this," Wanda sobbed. "I can't go to jail! What if they deport me?"

"Just do as they say. It's okay." It burned at Steve to obey, but there were so many of them. If Wanda still had her powers, or if he still had the serum, they could get out of here no problem. Retreat and then figure out how to fix this from a safe distance. If only they'd come up with this idea faster, before Stark made the acquaintance of Strange, it would have worked. 

The officers advanced when Steve knelt. One of them roughly grabbed his wrists and then hauled him to his feet, slapping handcuffs on him. He was embarrassed to see the officer holding him was a woman; she turned him around roughly, still keeping a hand on his arm, while another male officer began to pat him down for weapons. Beside him, a sobbing Wanda was being subjected to the same treatment.

"Hey, be gentle with her! She's just a kid!" Steve barked. 

The officer searching her paused, looking doubtful. "She is?"

"No, she's not. She's twenty-two," Stark said. 

"She's a kid!" Steve yelled, but everyone ignored him. It was infuriating to be patted down like a common criminal, and then to be made to stand there and watch as Wanda was marched through the empty room and outside as an officer read her her rights. Another officer began to repeat the same to Steve.

" You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning -"

"Yes, my attorney!" Steve burst out. "Call my attorney!"

"We'll contact your attorney at the station," said the officer he'd interrupted. "Do you know your attorney's number?"

"No. I -" Steve stopped, realizing too late that the Avengers didn't have legal representation. What they'd had before was Stark Industries' legal team, which had always acted on their behalf. Usually legal matters were dealt with long before the team ever heard about them. He turned desperate eyes on Stark.

Stark just looked at him, smiling, eyes cold. "What's wrong, Rogers? Never got around to finding a lawyer? That's fine. I believe the next line is 'if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you'. Am I correct, Officer Jones?"

"That's correct, Mr. Stark," the officer said. " If you cannot afford an attorney, Mr. Rogers, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

Steve was too proud to beg. He wouldn't give Stark the satisfaction. He pressed his lips together and refused to speak, even when the officer prodded him for an answer. At last, the officers gave up. They marched him out of the room and down the front steps of the building. Amidst the snap-and-flash of cameras, Steve was walked across the sidewalk and pushed into the back of a cop car.

"I have a lawyer," Steve said as two officers climbed into the front seat. He was burning with anger and humiliation, but his mind had seized upon a reasonable conclusion. Surely one of the lawyers that used to work for SHIELD would represent him? He was Captain America!

The two officers in the front seat exchanged looks. Then one of them said, "Can you afford to _pay_ your lawyer?"

"No, but -"

"Lawyers don't work for free," the officer said, cutting him off. "Not even for Captain America." He snorted and his partner chuckled a little. Steve set his jaw, stewing silently. He would call Fury when he got to the precinct. Fury would handle this.

But when Steve got the chance to make his phone call, Fury didn't answer any of the numbers that Steve remembered him having. Neither did Maria Hill. And he didn't actually know how to contact any of the other ex-agents at SHIELD, much less their legal team. No one picked up at the compound, either. He even tried calling Clint, but Clint must have been out with his family. Finally, beyond frustrated, Steve left a message on Natasha's cell explaining the situation and gave up. 

"Don't worry," one of the officers said. "We'll get you a public defender tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Steve repeated. "What happens tonight?"

"Tonight, you get to experience a twenty first century jail cell," the officer said, smirking. "Top class accommodations for the one and only Captain America." He escorted Steve into the cramped cell, bare but for the toilet in the corner, and then slammed the bars shut and walked away laughing. Steve stood, alone, in the middle of the room and thought he might be sick.

How had a simple plan to make Stark see reason gone so wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in prison, Steve receives an unexpected visitor. Bucky wants to know how Steve could be okay with brainwashing someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't intended on writing a sequel to this, but emmalish posted a comment wondering what would happen if Bucky found out Steve planned to brainwash someone and my brain basically went "oooooooooooooh". In the process I think I accidentally wrote Steve's villain origin story. Oops.

“Rogers! You have a visitor.”

Steve lifted his head, surprised. In the two and a half years he’d been in prison, he’d never once had a visitor. Well, that wasn’t quite true. Captain America fanatics had visited him by the truck loads at first, but it hadn’t taken long for the warden of the prison to clamp down on that. Steve had been required to write up a list of visitors that he knew personally, and only those people would be permitted. He’d put everyone he could think of on that list, from Natasha to Fury, and still no one had come.

“Who is it?” he asked.

The guard rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t care. Get a move on.”

He stood up, allowed his hands and legs to be cuffed, and fell into place behind her as she strode down the hall. Steve spent most of his time in protective custody, as there were plenty of criminals who would love to get a piece of a former Avenger. He’d insisted on being with the general population at first. But after getting his ass thoroughly kicked several times, the choice had been taken out of his hands.

It had been difficult getting used to his pre-serum body again. Without the serum, he couldn’t defend himself nearly as well. Punches ghosted off of people instead of sending them across the room. Injuries took weeks or months to heal instead of minutes or hours. This body didn’t bend or twist or jump or dodge the way he was used to; it ran out of strength and breath pathetically fast. Even the short walk to the visiting room left him winded.

“Over there,” the guard said briskly, gesturing. “Remember the rules. No contact. Hands on the table at all times.”

Steve nodded, too breathless to answer… but not because of the walk. He could hardly believe his eyes. Sitting at the table was none other than Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanov. He walked over to them slowly, wanting nothing more than to throw himself at Bucky. But he could feel the guard’s eyes burning into his back, and neither Bucky nor Natasha rose to meet him, so he took a seat instead.

“Steve,” Bucky said. Hearing his voice made Steve’s throat tighten up. He stared at Bucky, eagerly drinking in the details. Gone was the wild-eyed, thin, anguished madman who had almost killed Steve. In his place was a man who could pass for anyone from the twenty-first century: Bucky’s hair was still long, but it was cut and styled nicely. His clothing was nice too, fitting him well enough to reveal that he’d gained some badly needed weight. His eyes were clear and aware and focused. 

“Buck,” he said emotionally, wishing he could touch Bucky’s hand to make sure he was real, that this wasn’t just some wonderful dream. “How… how is this possible? You didn’t even know who I was the last time we met.” He leaned forward a little. If this was Natasha’s doing, Steve would owe her his life.

“It’s taken a lot of work,” said Bucky. Even his voice sounded different, smoother. “I didn’t even know who _I_ was for the longest time. Hydra had me really fucked up.” He lowered his head, speaking his last sentence so quietly that Steve had to strain to hear. 

“But you’re okay now. You remember,” Steve whispered. It was everything he’d longed for ever since he’d found out Bucky was still alive. He’d lost several nights to grief over the past couple of years, positive that, without Steve around to fight for him, Bucky would be lost to Hydra forever. He’d never imagined that Bucky would show up out of the blue.

He’d fantasized, once in a while, about what might happen after he got out of prison. He’d dreamt about finding Bucky and bringing him home: the triumphant return of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Of course, he’d never pictured their reunion quite like this. He’d thought that he would still have the serum and that several months would need to be devoted to Bucky getting his memories back, but that eventually they’d be an unstopped team.

Instead, Bucky was shaking his head. “Not everything. Most of it is still a blur to me. My therapist tells me I might never remember. I get flashes or dreams sometimes of new… well, old things, but they’re rare.”

Steve swallowed hard. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “But you remember me. You came to see me.”

“Some. It took me a while to work up the nerve to come.”

“What? Why? Buck, you have to know I’m so happy you’re here –”

“I know,” Bucky interrupted. “That’s why.”

“I don’t understand,” Steve said. His heart was thudding in his ears. Bucky had needed to work up nerve to come here? To see his best friend? 

“You tried to brainwash someone,” Bucky said softly. “You _told_ that witch to brainwash Tony. How could you do that?”

Flabbergasted, unable to believe that Bucky was bringing that up, Steve automatically shook his head. “It wasn’t like that,” he said, the familiar denial coming easily to his lips. He’d explained this dozens of times: to the arresting officers, to the public defender, to the judge and jury (he’d insisted on taking the stand, even though his lawyer had suggested he not). No one seemed to understand, but surely Bucky would.

“I saw the video. Pepper told me herself what happened.” Bucky stared at him. “You know what Hydra did to me. They brainwashed me for seventy years. _Seventy years_ , Steve!” His voice broke. He had to pause for a moment before he could continue. “And you tried to do the same thing to someone else. I had to see you to figure out why.”

“It’s not the same thing,” Steve said earnestly. “It’s really not. We weren’t going to hurt Stark. We definitely weren’t going to torture him! I just wanted him to fund the Avengers again, that’s all. So we could keep on doing our jobs.”

“But you were brainwashing him,” Bucky repeated. 

“To help people,” Steve pointed out. He was frustrated that, no matter how many people he explained this to, no one seemed to understand his perspective. “I had no idea what Wanda was planning.”

“You knew she hated Tony,” Natasha said. Her voice was flat. “You had to know that giving her the opportunity to mess with Tony’s mind was a terrible idea.”

“She said all she would do was make him want to fund us again,” Steve said.

“And you took her at her word? Considering that your word is worth nothing, I would have thought you’d have known better.”

“What?”

Natasha leaned forward. “You promised me that you would tell Tony about his parents,” she said, eyes glittering dangerously. “You told me not to say anything because you thought it would be easier if you told him, and because you wanted the chance to explain about Bucky’s conditioning. Why didn’t Tony know about his parents, Steve?”

Steve opened his mouth and then closed it, a hot flush of guilt rushing through him. He remembered that conversation with Natasha. It had been much easier than he thought it would to be convince her not to tell Stark anything. He’d been sure that she would fight him on it. But instead, she’d been almost eager to let the duty remain with Steve – and she’d never brought it up again, so Steve had never had to lie.

“It was complicated,” Steve said at last. “We didn’t know for sure. We had no proof. I didn’t want to upset Stark unnecessarily.”

“Are you serious?” Natasha said. “That’s your excuse? That you didn’t have _proof_?!”

“We didn’t!” Steve said. “There was no point in –”

“Save it, Steve. We knew exactly what happened to the Starks, and we all know the real reason why you didn’t tell Tony. You were scared that Tony would withdraw his funding even sooner and that meant you wouldn’t be able to keep using money that was supposed to be for the team to fund your search for the Winter Soldier.”

Steve winced, and Natasha cocked her head like a shark scenting blood in the water. “That’s right. I asked Sam to help me do an audit after you were imprisoned. I wanted to know exactly how much money we were running through before I had a meeting with Tony. Imagine my surprise when I found several bills for things that weren’t sanctioned for Avengers missions. Things like flights with the quinjet, or expensive hotel stays in cities all over the world.”

Bucky had remained quiet while Natasha spoke. Now, he looked at Steve. “Is that true? Were you really running around on the dime of a man whose parents I murdered?”

“It’s not your fault,” Steve said immediately. “It wasn’t you, Bucky. I know that.”

“Don’t say that,” Bucky said, recoiling slightly. 

“But it’s true! The blame lies with Hydra.”

“But I still did it. My hands still killed all those people. You can’t just say that it wasn’t my fault and expect that to make everything okay,” said Bucky. “That’s not how it works.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. And I knew Stark wouldn’t understand that.” He looked at Natasha. “Okay, yes. I went on some unofficial missions trying to track Bucky down. And no, I didn’t tell Stark about his parents. He has access to so many resources… I thought that if I could bring Bucky back, Stark might help him. Once Bucky was better, then it didn’t matter if Stark knew the truth and withdrew his help.”

“He did help me,” Bucky said softly.

“What?”

“Tony,” Natasha said, “was both furious and heartbroken when I told him the truth. He was angry mainly at you, by the way, for lying to him. But after he had some time to absorb the truth and come to terms with it, he decided that the Winter Soldier was someone who needed help. He, Jim, Sam, Vision and I worked together to figure out where the Winter Soldier was and bring him home.” She sent Bucky a fond smile, the first time she’d smiled since Steve had sat down, before her smile faded when she turned back to Steve.

“Tony is the one who gave Bucky a home in the tower, since the compound had too many people for comfort. Tony is the one who paid for Bucky’s extensive therapy sessions. Tony is the one who designed a system that removed the code words from Bucky’s brain. Tony is the one who –”

Bucky, much to Steve’s shock, put his hand in Natasha’s lap under the table. It silenced her. Then Bucky said, “The point is, you didn’t give Tony enough credit. You didn’t think about him or me at all.”

“That’s not –”

“Yes it is,” Bucky said, not allowing him the chance to speak. “You thought about yourself and what _you_ wanted. You wanted your best friend from Brooklyn back. I’m not that person.”

“Yes you are,” Steve said. He couldn’t believe this was happening. “Bucky, you’re my friend no matter what happened.”

Bucky smiled at him. It was a sad, tired smile. “I know I am, Stevie. But you… you participated in a plan to brainwash someone, and you’re lying and stealing and committing fraud and – and I don’t even know you anymore. Where is the Steve Rogers who actually cared about other people?”

“I’m still that person! Were you not listening to me? I wanted to protect the people. I wanted to protect my team. I just needed the money to do that.”

“Was that your real reason?” Bucky asked quietly. “Or did you see Stark as a bully who resisted what you wanted him to do, and you thought he needed to be taken down a peg or two?”

Steve set his jaw. If he were being honest, he did think Tony Stark was a bully. Stark had no awareness of the little guy. He did whatever he wanted when he wanted to do it, and if someone tried to stop him he threw money around until they stepped out of the way – or he would use his considerable connections or position. It was one of many reasons why Steve had never supported Stark being an Avenger instead of a consultant. There was no way he was letting Stark throw his weight around on the team.

Bucky nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He pushed his chair back and started to get up. Natasha stood up too.

“Bucky, wait,” Steve said, suddenly panicked. He didn’t understand why Bucky was defending Stark. “Please. I’m sorry.”

“You are?” Bucky said, hesitating. “Really?”

“Yes, I am. I swear.”

“I don’t believe you,” Natasha said. “You’re not sorry for what you almost did to Tony.”

Steve wasn’t. He really wasn’t. Brainwashing and mind manipulation weren’t the best tactics, but he still thought that Stark was the bad guy here. Well, him and Wanda. The trial had revealed the full scope of Wanda’s mental health issues. They’d sent her to be tested by a psychologist, and the psychologist had labeled her with a bunch of terms like ‘antisocial personality disorder’. Steve’s public defender had called her a psychopath and lain much of the blame for their plan at her feet.

Ultimately, Wanda had been sentenced and then deported back to Sokovia. Steve had tried to find out what happened to her after that. Last he’d heard, she was in prison for life – probably in solitary, since word about Wanda’s involvement with Hydra and support of Ultron had leaked out during the course of the trial. There had been many people calling for her blood.

“I’m your friend,” he said to Bucky, ignoring Natasha entirely. “Till the end of the line, right?”

Bucky watched him for a moment without saying anything, just long enough to make Steve’s heart pound, then Bucky sighed. “We’ll always be friends, like you said. But I don’t think I can be around you right now. I’ll write to you, but this one visit was enough.” 

“Enough for what? Bucky, please! I’m still the same person I always was. I did everything for you.”

“And that’s what bugs me,” Bucky said. He turned to go and suddenly Steve couldn’t stand it.

“Stark has brainwashed you somehow!” he cried. That was the only explanation for why Bucky would choose Tony over him. He surged to his feet, but his voice and behavior had drawn the attention of the guards. They rushed over, warning him to sit back down.

Their words fell on deaf ears. “Bucky!” Steve yelled. “Bucky, wait!”

He tried to follow when Bucky and Natasha were ushered out of the room, but the guards stopped him. He fought desperately, but even, if he hadn’t been handcuffed, his strength was no match for theirs. Steve was wrestled back to his cell and shoved inside. The door slammed shut behind with a heavy thunk that sounded way too final. He spun around, staring at the guard.

“You’ve lost visiting privileges for the next six months,” the guard barked. “Keep it up, Rogers, and your other privileges won’t be far behind.”

Steve didn’t care. He didn’t care about any of it. He sank to the floor, burying his face in his hands. Everything he’d done was for Bucky. He’d been aimless when he woke up from the ice; this world was too new, too different, and he had no purpose, no family and no real desire to keep going. Until he’d found out about Bucky. Bucky was a shining star in the night sky, showing Steve the way. He’d been so sure that he would be able to find Bucky, de-brainwash him and make everything right again.

Once again, Stark had prevented that from happening. It seemed like no matter what Steve wanted to do, Stark was constantly in the way. He’d been a thorn in Steve’s side since day one, from the disrespectful and arrogant attitude Stark displayed in the Helicarrier during the Battle of New York, to now. Either Stark had brainwashed Bucky – which was unlikely with Natasha and the others around – or Stark was holding something over Bucky – money, probably. Poor Bucky couldn’t afford to strike out on his own. He was basically being held hostage. It was the only thing that made sense.

He curled his hands into fists. He’d been sentenced to ten years in prison with a possibility of parole at five years for good behavior. He was going to the best goddamned prisoner in the whole world so that, in another two and a half years, Steve would be free. And then he would make it his personal mission to make sure the whole world saw what Tony Stark was really like.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
